Itch

Question
I have two pugs that are the light of my life.  The poor little things suffer from seasonal itch just awfull. They chew at their paws continuously, sometimes to the point of drawing blood. One of them is on cortizone right now for the problem. Is there any holistic or home-remedy treatment that gives any relief to this condition? I hate to see them suffer, but I hate cramming pills (drugs) down their throats even more. I doubt that there's any real answer, but I'm very hopefull. Thank you very much for your time.

Answer
Cortisone helps relieve the itching, so I doubt if you can completely get away from using it.  However, many dogs benefit from frequent bathing (3-4 times a week) to remove the grass pollens from around their feet and face.  They can also benefit from adding Omega 3 fatty acids (marine fish oils) to their diets. This type of fatty acid becomes part of the skin lipid layer and replaces fatty acids that cause skin inflammation.